U.S. Supreme Court Upholds Tennessee Ban on Certain Gender Care for Minors - Articles

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U.S. Supreme Court Upholds Tennessee Ban on Certain Gender Care for Minors

Posted by: Jarod Word on Jun 18, 2025

The U.S. Supreme Court today upheld Tennessee’s ban on puberty blockers and hormone therapy for transgender teenagers. By a vote of 6-3, the justices rejected an argument by three transgender teens (along with their parents and a Memphis doctor) that the law violates their constitutional right to equal protection and should be scrutinized using a more stringent standard than the one used by a federal appeals court in Cincinnati. The case, U.S. v. Skrmetti, which was brought by the ACLU, alleged that Tennessee SB0001/HB0001 violates the Equal Protection Clause of the 14th Amendment. Chief Justice John Roberts wrote in the majority opinion, saying the court’s only role is to ensure that the law does not violate the Constitution’s guarantee of equal protection. “Having concluded that it does not,” he wrote, “we leave questions regarding its policy to the people, their elected representatives, and the democratic process.” Justice Sonia Sotomayor authored a dissent saying “[The court] authorizes, without second thought, untold harm to transgender children and the parents and families who love them.” Read more about the case from SCOTUSblog.